Their Place
by Kaatiieex
Summary: Angel and Buffy's unseen meeting after her return in Season Six. The story continues after the endings of both shows. Different from other attempts of the storyline.
1. Apprehensions

**Chapter One.**

Buffy knew instantly where he meant when he said "our place."

It was a place that they had discovered one night, both following their hearts and finding eachother there.

It was halfway between Sunnydale and LA, their towns. Buffy first went there when her mother had become ill, she was scared and needed to lose herself somewhere. Angel had felt her pain, he had felt it for weeks, but he knew that he couldn't go to her it wasn't his place anymore. But when he felt her let go and release her pain he knew just where to find her. He didn't know how, but he knew to follow his "unbeating" heart and he had found her there, curled up on the sand, silent tears caressed her face and he went to her. They agreed on meeting at their "secret place" when they needed eachother and couldn't take the distance anymore. She had known that it was wrong and that she had Riley back in Sunnydale, but that was just it. She needed to be someone other than the slayer. When Buffy was with Angel she knew she didn't have to be the slayer anymore, the slayer was supposed to be strong, she was supposed to hold it all together and she couldn't let her family and friends down. Angel would take the pain away, he could make her feel like she was somewhere else, like she was someone else. He had held her when Riley left, she told him the real reason why he had left her and Angel couldn't help but smile. Buffy was still his.

She drove with her heart to their meeting place, not caring about the other cars around her, not caring for their innocent lives. She needed to get to there to him, to feel his arms hold her small body and take away the pain that she was suffering.

He was already there waiting for her when she pulled up, she knew he would be. Angel never kept her waiting.

She stopped, suddenly afraid. What was he going to think of her? Would he still love her?


	2. Crossing the Border

-1Chapter Two.

If the Vampires heart was beating it would have stopped upon seeing her again. He had prayed to the heavens every day since her death, asking to hold her one more time and he would give anything in return. Anything. His feet stood firmly on the ground but he felt like falling to the floor and letting his emotions rule his body. He secretly thanked the Powers for bringing her back to him., even if he could only see her for a few hours. He moved away from his car where he had been leaning and took the glorious steps toward her. Was it her? Was she really alive? He was afraid to hold her in fear of her disappearing again.

Buffy took a deep breath and opened her car door. He drank the sight of her in. Her long hair hung loosely around her shoulders, he noticed that her curves had disappeared, her clothes clung to her bones showing her weight loss since the last time he had seen her. She pulled her thin sweater around her only she wasn't trying to keep the cold out, she was trying to keep her balance. He was in front of her, Angel, her first love, her first everything. The cause of most of her pain. She allowed her eyes to rest on his arms, the arms that in a few moments would be the only thing to hold her up, keeping her body from falling to the floor.

She tore her stare away from his inviting embrace and looked slowly to his face. Their eyes locked. For the first time in a long time, they were able to look in their lovers eyes.

Angel didn't know what he saw behind them, was it pain, love, anger, scared? It was everything. Pain from being wripped from heaven, love for him which she knew wasn't allowed, anger for him not being there these past years when she had needed him most, and scared, scared to feel all these emotions because she knew that if she stopped to feel them, she couldn't cope.

"Buffy" Angel's voice was barely above a whisper. When Willow had called to tell him that she was alive he didn't believe it and he still didn't believe it now. Now that she was in front of him, he wouldn't believe until he had her safely encircled in his arms. Buffy could see the love and pain written across his face and she wondered what he had felt when he heard the news of her death. She knew that if it had been Cordelia that had contacted her and told her that Angel was dead, she wouldn't be able to go on living. Even though he wasn't there with her anymore, he was in her heart and soul. She knew that if she needed him, he'd be there in an instant at her side, telling her everything she needed to hear.

She smiled as he whispered her name, it was something that they always did. There was never a need for a formal greeting, addressing each other and calling out to the other was all they needed.

"Angel" she barely called back as the tears that she had been trying to sheild gently fell down her cheeks. Angel saw her about to break and ran to her. If he hadn't the ability to move so quickly then her body would have hit the ground instead of collapsing against his chest. He touched every part of her body, making sure that he wasn't dreaming, that she was real and that he really was holding her. He let his tears fall down his face and kissed her shoulder gently.

"Ohh Buffy...you're here, you're really here." He tightened his grip on her body and cursed himself. He hated that he needed her so much, that she needed him equally. He hated himself for being selfish and not staying away from her at the very beginning. He had had the opportunity to walk away, but he couldn't. He had needed her, but this is how it had turned out. She couldn't go on without him and he couldn't exist without her. He pulled his body away from hers slightly, holding on to her shoulders making sure she didn't lose her feet beneath her. He searched her face, her eyes. She smiled and at that moment, the emotions she had felt mere moments before were lost to her. She was here, in her Angels arms and she didn't care about anything. For the first time she didn't care that her mother was dead, that she had been pulled out of heaven by her friends, that she had to look after herself and Dawn or that in a few hours she had to go back to it all. She was here, with him and that was all that mattered.


	3. Answered Prayer

-1Chapter Three.

Angel led her to their favoured spot on the sand. Sometimes they would sit on the bonnet of his car overlooking the sea, chatting. Other times like this, they would sit in one particular spot on the sand and just hold eachother. Angel removed his jacket and allowed Buffy to sit first, making sure that she was comfortable. That was the first time since his arms saved her from hitting the floor that they had not been touching and once he released her hand and removed his arm from her body, they both felt the cold and the emptiness. Angel instantly joined Buffy on the sand and wrapped his arms around her once again, assuring both Buffy and himself that he was staying for as long as he could, until the sun came up. They sat in silence listening to the oceans waves crashing against the shore, clinging to each other making sure that they weren't dreaming, both fearing that this was a fantasy and that they would wake up any minute alone.

"I wasn't in hell." Buffy whispered lightly, Angel if not having super-hearing may not have caught her soft yet fearful words. He closed his eyes. He had known that she wasn't in hell, and he had feared it. .

"I know." Buffy pulled away from him, unsure of his comment.

"How did you..." Realistation swept over her and she nodded, returning her head to the spot on his chest that she believed was reserved solely for her. "Of course you knew. Just like I knew when you were in hell." Angel nodded his head.

"When Willow called to tell me that you were alive, I cried Buffy." He shoke his head, a single tear falling down his cool cheek. "I cried because I knew you were at peace and they had taken it away from you."

Couldn't he just be happy that I'm back and alive like everyone else? She thought silently to herself. She cursed him, for loving her so much that he was worried about her being taken away from heaven rather than embracing her life.

"They took me away from it Angel." She couldn't open her eyes saying the words that were spilling out of her. She hated herself for feeling them, yet she hated them for taking away the peace that she had found. "I know they only did it to help me, they feared I was in a hell dimension somewhere suffering." Angel cut her off, not understanding her friends' reasoning for bringing her back.

"I know that they missed you Buffy, because I missed you everyday but how could they mistake you for being in hell? How could they not know that you were in heaven?" How did he know?

He was the only person in her world that could possibly understand her, but she wasn't allowed to have him. It was so unfair.

"They were scared. They needed me. Just like I need you." She turned to him and connected her eyes with his. "You haven't jumped for joy that I'm alive, you haven't pushed me to talk, you've just held me. God Angel, if it was the other way around I don't think that I could be that strong."

He cupped her face in his cool hands and she shuddered. "Buffy believe me, I am so happy that you're alive. I cursed myself for feeling relief when I knew." He kissed her forehead and allowed her head to fall to his chest once more.

"We were there together." He didn't have to ask what she meant by her words, he knew that she was referring to heaven. She pulled away from his tight embrace and looked toward the sea. "That is why I hate them for what they did." She felt his gaze pulling at her and looked back toward him, melting when seeing the look of awe in his eyes. "We finally had our ever after and it was taken from me. Is happniess not meant for me? Are slayers meant to be punished like this?" Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks and after her loud sob Angel couldn't hold back anymore. He took her hands in his and kissed her palms. He kissed every inch of skin on her face and paused finally at her lips. Her eyes were locked on his rosy lips and whimpered as they finally crashed down onto hers. This is what he had dreamed of since she had died, this is what he had lived for these past months. The kiss was gentle and filled with love at first, but the need for the other became so strong that they couldn't deny the passion flowing between them. Buffy didn't care that she needed her breath, she kissed him with everything that was left inside of her. She never wanted to let go. Angel knew that he should break their embrace but couldn't, she was here in his arms kissing him and that was heaven to him.


	4. One Moment

-**Chapter Four.**

He had missed this. Being able to hold her again was the only thing that mattered to him in the world. He loved her, but he didn't know how she could love him. He was a demon, a vampire who fed on blood, who's world was lived in darkness. She was full of light, full of energy, she was perfect. But he realised that even though there were a million reasons why they shouldn't love each other, they didn't matter. All that mattered was that moment, the moments shared together. She was his opposite but that made them a whole. He never wanted to let her go and she prayed he wouldn't.

"The sun will be coming up soon." Angel knew long before the words escaped her mouth when the sun would rise.

"Will you go back?" She didn't want to, she never wanted to leave but where else was there to go?

She smiled. "The hotel?"

The corners of Angel's mouth curved into a smirk. "I was hoping you would say that."

They climbed the beach steps towards Angels car and both dark figures got in silently.

Angel knew the route by heart, he could drive there with his eyes closed. It was their place. Just a crummy hotel at the side of the highway, but it was theirs. Angel never took her back to the Hyperion, that would only complicate things. It would force them back to reality and ruin the dream world that they had created together. This place held an importance to them, it made their meeting far from over.

They pulled up and entered the reception. Angel paid for their room, took the key and led Buffy to the small darkened room. Once in there, Buffy removed her jeans along with her sweater, pulled back the covers on the bed and motioned for Angel to join. He removed his jacket and shirt and climbed underneath the covers alongside her. He then pulled her warm body towards his and she gasped as his cool skin collided with her warm body, but she loved the familiar feeling of his skin against hers.

"Thank you Angel." She watched as her fingers danced on his bare chest.

"For what?" He was mesmorised by her fingertips and the emotions they were stirring inside him.

"For being here, for taking me away from everything. Even if it is just for one night." She turned towards the window and saw that the sun had rose. "Or day." She was saying thank you to him, he couldn't understand.

"Buffy" he turned her face towards his. "I should have been there, you should never have sacrificed your life. If I'd have known, I would've been there in a second. You have nothing to thank me for, I should have done more." He truly hated himself for not being there with her, for not helping her fight Glory and more importantly for letting her die.

Buffy shook her head. "Angel it wasn't your fault. I had to do it, it was my fight. I needed to know that I had protected Dawn." She searched his chocolate eyes, trying to make him understand that she didn't blame him, it had nothing to do with him.

"I know Buffy, but I should have known that you were hurting. How did I not know?" Angel released her small body and paced the room. Buffy sat up, the bedsheets clinging to her bottom half.

"I was too involved with my own problems that I didn't even know that you were in pain." He turned towards her. "How could I not know?" He took a seat facing her tiny frame on the bed. "I feel you Buffy, I feel everything you do. If you're in trouble or hurting I can feel it. But I didn't even feel that you died." His hands motioned to his heart.

Buffy could see the pain written accross his face and knew that it must be deeper inside.

"Angel" she took his larger cold hands into her warming embrace. "You didn't feel it because I wasn't suffering. I chose to die, I jumped with a smile on my face knowing that it was the right thing to do." Tears filled his eyes.

"I knew that Glory was going to be tough to beat, but I did it. I stopped Glory and I saved my sister. I jumped knowing that she was going to be safe and looked after by everyone I was leaving behind." He could see the light in her eyes as she spoke.

"I'd been through so much in my life, so much pain that I just wanted it all gone. Death seemed like a pretty good escape." Angel moved closer to her.

"But you could've come to me Buffy. I would have wanted to be there with you." She nodded.

"I know and I'm sorry." He pulled her toward him and tightened his arms around her. He kissed her head and let his face linger, breathing in her scent.

"I thought of you as I jumped." She pulled away from him and avoided his gaze, choosing to look at her hands rather than him. "I prayed that my heaven would be with you." She finally looked into his drowning eyes. "It was. It was just you and me, together." A sad smile spread across her face.

"I dreamt it." Buffy's smile faded. "Most nights I would dream of you and we were there, doing everything we can't." Angel's gaze fell to the floor when he said those words to her.

"Then lets pretend that we're still there. In our heaven." She pulled him down with her under the bed covers. She was tired and more than anything she wanted to fall asleep in his arms. He wrapped her body in his embrace and both slayer and vampire fell asleep for the first time in years, with a smile on their faces.

_'For a moment all the world was right.'_

_Lyrics by Westlife-'The Dance'_


	5. Unspoken Words

-1Chapter Five.

Angel awoke to find the sun almost set. He turned and saw a peaceful Buffy still asleep in his arms, he smiled at the vision before him. He pushed away the voice in his head telling him that when she woke, she would leave shortly after. He knew that she had to get back to her life and he knew that he had to get back to his, but he was content just holding her.

She stirred in his arms, feeling someones eyes on her and squinted to see who it was. Last night wasn't a dream. It was real. He was here, holding her. She smiled and snuggled further into his chest.

"Does this mean it's nearly time to leave?" She groaned, knowing full well that it was.

"Not if you don't want it to be. We could go back to the beach?" She looked into her soulmates hopeful eyes, wishing that she could stay.

"I would love to Angel you know that, but I can't." He nodded, knowing that that would be her answer.

"I know, just thought I'd put it on the table for you." She smiled and leaned forward to kiss his lips softly.

"Thank you." Buffy layed her head back down onto his chest. "We still have a few more minutes at least." Angel smiled at her words, any time they had together they both cherished. They saw each other very little, which made their visits even more special.

"Yeah" he looked over to the clock on the bedside table, "it's only six, which means at least a few more minutes." He kissed the top of her head and bodies fell into deep thought, praying to the heavens that someday this would be their forever.

Thirty minutes later, without a word buffy untangled herself from Angels body and moved around the room retrieving her clothes from the previous night. Angel followed her lead and did the same. When both slayer and vampire were fully clothed and ready to go Angel opened the door allowing Buffy to lead the way to the car and followed her out, closing the door behind them.


	6. Forever, Someday

Chapter Six.

The car journey back to the beach was filled with silence. Neither Slayer or Vampire needed to speak. They both knew that. Silence between them was just as meaningful as words. Why did it have to be so hard? So painful?

Angel silently pulled up next to Buffy's car and turned off the engine. He didn't want to do this, didn't want to say goodbye to her again. She had only come back to him twenty four hours ago. It was unfair that she had to be wripped away from him. He looked over to her, her dirty blonde hair was tied in a messy bun and she looked weaker than ever. She hadn't bothered to apply any make-up. Angel tried to remember the Buffy that he had met five years ago, how she didn't look like her anymore. However, to him she was Buffy and she always would be. She was just a little damaged, nothing that he couldn't fix. But he knew that it was not possible, not yet anyway. He was a vampire, he couldn't give her what she needed and what she needed was light. She felt so cold and lonley that Angel was afraid that taking her away from the light would finish her. She had her emerald eyes closed tightly, pleading with the powers that be to make this day last forever, to take her back to heaven so that she and Angel could be together, so that she wouldn't feel the pain and emptiness that haunted her.

Angel didn't want to take her away from her thoughts, but he knew that this was killing her, it was killing him too.

"Buffy" he whispered into the silent air. She flinched at his words. Why did he know how to send chills down her spine and make her feel sensations that no one else was able to?

She slowly turned to him and a sad smile played on her face.

"I know." She looked toward the beach out of the windscreen.With one last look at Angel, Buffy opened the car door and stepped out into the cool air. Angel immeadiatly followed, he knew that she wanted him to. They had yet to say goodbye, something that both were fearing. He walked around the car and headed toward the beach, he held out his hand for her to follow and she interlaced her tiny hand with his larger fingers and followed his lead. They stood at the steps, Buffy leaning her head on Angels shoulder looking out toward the sea. Anyone looking on would have thought that they were a couple so in love, so happy. But what did they know?

But Buffy didn't care, the thought excited her. At least she could pretend that she and Angel were some normal couple in love, and the only worries they had was annoying parents who don't approve of their daughters choice of suitor. She smiled at the thoughts filling her head, how she wished life was as simple.

Buffy stepped away from Angel, never breaking their physical contact. She wanted to touch him for as long as she could, every moment counted. She would have to go a long time before she was able to touch him again, it was an opportunity that she just couldn't pass up.

"I think it's time for me to go. Everyone will be worried." Buffy's eyes avoided Angel's, not wanting to see the dissappointment behind them because she was afraid that if she saw it, she wouldn't have the strength to leave. She finally looked to his face after a few moments, she saw that even though the dissappointment lingered it wasn't fully there and she silently thanked Angel for making it that much easier for her to leave.

"Back to reality." She chuckled when saying this, the thoughts of her life flooded back to her. But she refused to dwell on them, she was still here with Angel even if it was only for a few more seconds.

He smiled at her and followed her lead back to her car. They stopped inches away from her car, hands still entwined.

"Thanks Angel, for tonight. For everything." He placed his hands on her cheeks and gently pulled her face toward him. The kiss was anticipated, it was short and sweet. But Buffy had never felt more electricity from anything in her life.

"I'm sorry I can't make this forever." She winced at his words, she saw the tears evident in his eyes. Tears that she knew he'd cry once she had left.

"Maybe someday." She smiled at her hope. She knew that they were meant to be, just not yet.

Buffy escaped Angels touch and slid into the drivers seat of her car. She turned on the engine, put on the headlights and reversed onto the main road. Angel stood watching his lover drive away from him.

She stopped for a brief second and smiled at him. Ensuring him that she was still his. Forever.

_"Last night I dreamt of a different ending. _

_Everything just seemed to work out somehow._

_I saw that something and I could smile again._

_I was so sure I'd wake up and I wouldn't need you right now._

_But here in the real world, I miss you madly. I'm coping badly with losing you, what am I to do, here in the real world without you."_

"Real World", D Side.


	7. Sanshu

**PLEASE READ  
Note that I have changed the chapters.  
Originally I posted Chapters 7 & 8 but after posting them I felt that they did not convey the story I wanted to present.  
Therefore I have re-written the chapters to as I imagined the story originally.**

Chapter 7

Set five years after _'Not Fade Away'._

"The people who don't care about anything never understand the people who do."Angel – '_Not Fade Away' _Season 5.

A dark figure in an LA alley fell to the ground in astonishment of what was happening to him, even though he knew on some level that pain was taking over his body he failed to feel it. The vampire with a soul felt a single tear run down his cheek as he felt the sensation tear through his veins. One moment he was fighting, the next he had nothing left to fight and then he had felt it. It had begun with the feeling of a pounding coming from within his chest; followed by softer pulsates from his neck and wrists.  
He'd finished. His journey was over. The Shansu was his.  
Was it a hallucination, or was it real?  
Yes, it was defiantly real. A sudden burst of warmth spread through his blood, transporting the feeling through his entire system.  
Was this really happening? He didn't understand how, he had signed it away.  
Why was this happening to him?

She felt it too. The blonde woman that belonged to him, they were one. She felt the pain and bliss he was feeling halfway across the world. She took a step backwards, her hand gripping her slender chest.  
Was this really happening?  
She hadn't heard from or seen Angel since her last night in Sunnydale. How could she be feeling this?  
Tears slipped down her soft cheek and she brought up her delicate hand to wipe them away.

Angel remembered the first question Doyle had presented him with when he had turned human nine years earlier.  
"What do you want?"  
Angel knew exactly what he wanted. He had always known, there had never been any doubt in his mind what he desired. But did she crave the same?

Buffy explained that she may never be ready for him, for them, ever.But he had to try; you never get anything if you don't try. Upon this realisation he made for the only place in the world he wanted to be at that moment.

She was residing in Italy and had been ever since Sunnydale had been destroyed. She no longer wanted to be there. She needed to be somewhere else, somewhere where she knew someone would be waiting for her. A soft melody awoke her from her thoughts. She suddenly realised that her phone was ringing and quickly wiped away the remaining tears from her face.

"Hello?" her soft, yet evident tearful voice broke through the silence of her apartment.  
She had not been prepared to hear the voice on the other line.  
"Buffy..." Never had she heard her name so delicately spoken.

"Angel..." She managed to say, quietly. The only word her heart would allow her to speak.


	8. Queen of My Heart

Chapter Eight

An abandoned looking car sat stationary on the LA border occupied by a mysterious dark figure. It was early evening and the sun in the middle of the clear sky was setting slowly. Only one hour and she would be there. He knew that it was impossible for her to be waiting there already, not solely because of her lousy time keeping but because her flight did not arrive into LA for another twenty minutes. His cool hand pressed on a button, softly allowing music to fill the car permitting him opportunity to leave his thoughts and uneasiness behind in a world that only caused him pain and discontent. The world he was entering into was so much more than he could ever yearn for. A world where everything and everyone were forgotten, leaving two sole figures and the ocean wrapped up in something that was so indescribable, even the two lovers were afraid to cross through its delicate border.

A blonde figure nervously arrived at her destination earlier than expected. She stepped out of the green hired car she had picked up from the airport and felt the cool evening breeze hit her face instantly. Her green orbs searched her surroundings, looking for something, or someone in particular. Realising there was no other presence there but her own she walked towards the ocean that looked calm and inviting.  
_"Slowly drifting into a peaceful breeze,  
__celebrating a fantasy come true."_

The dark car followed its owner's heart to its objective. The figure found a deserted car upon his arrival and when looking forward, surprisingly found footprints in the sand a few meters in front of his own feet. A small smile played on the curves of his mouth. He followed the footprints and stopped upon seeing the small figure that the footprints belonged to. There she sat in the distance at the water's edge. He focused on the exquisite being who was smiling gently at the tides cold feel against her small feet when they met in unison. The smile that graced his lips grew as he watched the vision in front of him. It had been too long since he had been blessed with her presence.

The small figure at the water's edge was taking pleasure of the feel of the cool wetness gracing her toes. She wondered what he would be like, if he had changed. Had she changed? Of course she had. The last meeting they had shared she had explained her 'cookie analogy' to him. Yes she had changed. But this place hadn't in the slightest, she smiled at that and hoped that he hadn't either. Her thoughts were disturbed by the sudden feeling inciting her stomach. She knew the feeling well. Her mind was unable to focus on anything but the feeling rising from inside her body. Her feet were numb, her vision blurred and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore combined with the growing feeling taking over her body seemed to hypnotise her.

The dark figure realising that the small woman was aware of his presence carried on his journey toward her. His feet were moving beneath him, his mind unaware of the fact that he was moving, his focus was completely on her. All he knew was that he was getting closer to her, his lover, somehow. The coolness of the night's air sent shivers down the lovers' bodies.

The blonde figure managed to make herself stand up, even though she encountered difficulty forcing her mind to focus on something other than the feeling that was enclosing her whole being. She gracefully turned around, for the first time in five years her green orbs met his dark brown eyes. His feet stopped, he was unable to move any further. His mind was at war with his legs, enabling them to move any further toward her. His arms ached for her, to hold her, but for those mere seconds he was content with drinking in her appearance. Neither his feet nor mind won the battle as her small elegant body ran to him and soared into his arms. His hands met her waist as her arms encircled his neck.

"Buffy" he whispered, so very quietly. He wanted nothing to disturb this moment, no being, no noise."Angel" her voice responded similarly to his hushed tone assuring him that it was her there in his arms, promising that nothing could break the bond they were sharing. Their hands met during their unifying embrace. Their entwined bodies stood on the sand revelling in the presence of their lover. Yes they were here together in their secret place, finally.

_"So here we stand in our secret place  
__The__ sound of the crowd is so far away.  
__You take my hand and it feels like home.  
__We both understand it's where we belong."  
_"Queen of My Heart", Westlife.

Other lyrics;"Cruz", Christina Aguilera.


	9. Spoken For

Chapter Nine

Angel pulled away from the embrace they had each lost themselves in and let his eyes wander over her body, finally allowing them to settle on her eyes. She wasn't as skinny as she had been the last time he had seen her. This made him smile; he didn't like to see Buffy appearing ill and weathered. She was beautiful and deserved so much more than the life that had caused her endless pain. She wore a navy satin round neck dress that hung just above the knee which accentuated her curves nicely. It hung loosely on her slim frame and the ruffled bottom completed it nicely. Her blonde hair was messily tied up on her head, with strands falling in her face from the breeze. Her eyes had regained that sparkle in them that Angel remembered and not the cold, painful gleam that had appeared in them the last time he had seen her. But what stood out to him more than anything was the necklace around her neck.

Buffy noticed Angel's fascination with the silver object. A small smiled formed on her face as she fingered it and explained to him how she had come to own it. The thin silver necklace had been a gift from Giles. He had returned to England after the final battle with the First and the ending of Sunnydale. He needed Buffy to understand something, that he had never experienced love like she had given him before. He had never been married and been blessed to have children, but he insisted that Buffy was his daughter. He loved her like he had never loved anyone or anything in his life before. She had brought him so much joy and laughter over the seven years they had been working as a team, a family together. He needed her to know and remember that.

The pendant that came attached to the necklace, sitting neatly around her neck was a locket and engraved on the front was the letter 'S'. She was his slayer, his daughter. Angel lifted his hand to touch the locket lightly, grazing his fingers over Buffy's. She smiled and lifted her head, exposing her neck to him enabling him a better angle to view the piece of exquisite jewellery.

She took his hand in hers and entwined their fingers. She loved the feeling of his hand on hers again, joining them. She allowed herself to run her eyes and free hand over his body, fully. His masculine features which were evident through his white shirt were not a letdown. The colour of his shirt astounded her. Angel always wore such dark clothes, but white was defiantly a good look for him. His shirt met black trousers and the black trousers met his bare feet, which made her smile. She loved the warmth his skin radiated; it felt like she was touching something new. But as she closed her eyes and traced her fingers along his stomach, she remembered every inch of him.

She finally let her hand rest on his beating heart.  
"Bump bump. Bump bump. I like that sound". The smile on her face was evident through her voice.  
Angel matched her smile and lifted his left hand to cup her pale face, forcing her eyes back to his. The curves of the lovers' mouths turned into loving smiles. Buffy pulled on Angel's hand, dragging him towards the sea where she had been enjoying the feel of the cool water before his presence had interrupted her peaceful thoughts.

_We belong together like the open seas and shores  
__Wedded by the planet force,_ _we've all been spoken for.  
__As one we are everything, we are everything we need._  
_What g__ood is a life, with no one to sha__re  
__The light of the moon, the honour of a swear._  
_All this indecision, all this independent strength  
_ _Still, we've got our hearts on safe  
_ _Someday when you're lonely_  
_Sometime after all this bliss_  
_Somewhere lost in __emptiness__s_  
_I hope you find this gift..._  
_I hope you find this gift..._  
_I hope you find this gift._  
Lyrics by Gavin Degraw "We Belong Together"

**AN: Sorry about the mix up of Chapters!!**


	10. Angels Wings

Chapter Ten

Silence had over taken the lovers for how long they didn't know, nor did they care. They would both gladly stay here, enveloped together if meant never saying goodbye. They each basked in the presence of the other, the presence that they had been denied for the past five years. Angel's arms were encircled tightly around her slender waist. Her fair delicate hair caused goose-pimples to appear on Angel's body as it brushed softly against his skin.

Was she cookies yet?  
The question that had played in Angel's mind since the telephone call they had shared a few days earlier. The conversation shared was simple; she deprived him of many words concerning her feelings, but he didn't care. He knew that she was eager to see him, to be able to feel his warm skin caressing her own.

Wasn't it only fair that he was able to live and be happy after all he had accomplished? He had saved the strongest slayer there had ever been time and time again. He was her lifeline, the person that held her together when she wasn't strong enough on her own. The powers owed him more than he could imagine.

He looked her in the eyes, his slayer. No matter what was to happen in the future, he knew the truth. The truth was that she was his and he was hers. Although they had faced many obstacles, what was left?  
Cookies.  
As stupid as it sounded, that was the only thing that stood in the way of their forever. Angel's curse wasn't a problem anymore. Buffy was the problem. He didn't want her to be pushed into something that she wasn't ready for.

She looked back at him, reading the hope and fear in his chocolate orbs. This is what she longed for, why she existed. Him. Them. Without the memories and the hopes of a future, she was nothing but an empty shell. She wasn't the only slayer anymore and she couldn't conceal herself behind her title. Buffy had spent the past five years determining who she was and what she wanted for her future. She hadn't been used to such freedom of choice since she was sixteen years old. All she had ever known was being the slayer and being the slayer meant she had no choice in her future. Without the infinite title, what was she? That is what she had meant with her 'cookie' analogy.

Angel had once said that he loved her, no matter if she was the slayer or not. He loved her before she was called and after. To him she was just Buffy. That is the person she had been trying to find.

_I would die for you, l__ay down my life for you  
__The__ only thing, means everything to me  
__When you're in my arms, you make prouder than anything I ever could achieve  
__You make everything that used to seem so__ big seem to be so small since __you arrived  
__On Angel's Wings, an angelic__al formation__  
Angels wings like letters in the sky  
__Now I kno__w, no matter what the question  
__Love is the answer it's written on Angels Wings  
__I often wonder why someone __as flawed__ as I,  
__deserves to be __as happy as you make me  
__As the years roll by, I'll be there by your side  
__I'll follow you wherever your heart takes me  
__Now anyone __whose__ felt the touch of heaven in their lives,  
__Knows the way I'm feeling looking in my babies eyes  
__Can't bear to be too far away __I know that God must love because he sent you to me  
__Lyrics by __Westlife__, 'Angel's Wings'_


End file.
